


Two Shots, Two Sisters

by gr33ngirl



Category: Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2019-02-07
Packaged: 2019-09-07 18:57:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16859539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gr33ngirl/pseuds/gr33ngirl
Summary: Camilla and Marla Flours, sisters from the Capital Wasteland, journey through the Mojave in search of Camilla's lost package and the man that tried to kill her. Old friends turn up to help and new friends pop up along the way. Rated M for drinking/ drug use, language, and also future smutty moments. Updates will be slow.





	1. Rigged

**Marla**

The shots cut me off mid-sentence. I feel my eyes widen as I look at Doc Mitchell. I bolt to his front door and yank it open. Those shots weren't from in town, but they were close. I look around wildly.

"C'mon Cam, where are you?" I can't spot her anywhere. My heart pounds.

Wheels rolling over dirt catch my attention. I look for the source and find a securitron coming towards me. It's carrying something- no someone.

"Doc!" I shout. The securitron gets closer.

"I reckon she's still kickin', partner," it says in a male voice as it reaches me.

"No, no, no!" I mumble taking Cam from him and running into the house. "Doc, we gotta work fast!" I'm shouting again, freaked out by the amount of blood coming from my baby sister's head. Doc Mitchell appears next to me as I lay her out on the table.

"Yes, we do," he says starting to work. I take a breath before helping him.

* * *

 

**Camilla**

Bright lights sting my eyes as I crack them open. My head pounds worse than anything I've ever felt before. I have no clue where I am or how I got here. I hold up my hands. They look dirty. I wiggle them. At least they still work and are all there. I put my hands down and wiggle my toes. I can't see them, but I think they're all there. My head starts to throb worse. I close my eyes and suck in a few deep breaths. My stomach feels like it's swimming. Someone clears their throat. I turn my head towards the sound and open my eyes again. An older man is looking at me. His hair is grey and receding, a bushy mustache sitting above his upper lip and wearing overalls.

"You're awake how 'bout that." he sounds surprised. I turn on my side and start to push myself up. "Whoa, easy there." he helps me sit up. "Been out cold a couple days now." I blink at him a few times to clear my blurring vision. Now that I'm sitting up, my stomach doesn't feel as bad. "Took a couple shots to the head. Hope you don't mind but we had to go rooting around there in your noggin' to pull all the bits of lead out." We? I immediately feel like I'm forgetting someone important. He takes a breath. "Well, let's see what the damage is. How 'bout your name? Can you tell me your name?" the way he says makes me think that he already knows my name.

I can hear a woman's voice in my head saying a name. I recognize it and her voice.

"Camilla," I say, my voice pretty raspy. He nods with a smile.

"Sounds 'bout right. I'm Doc Mitchell. Welcome to Goodsprings." he smiles again and pats my shoulder. "Why don't you relax a second? Get your bearings. I have someone who'll be happy to see you up." I nod a little and watch him leave. I grip the edge of the bed and think about the voice I heard. I close my eyes. I know her voice. So why can't I remember who it belongs to?

"She seems to be alright and I have some tests I want to run but I don't see any harm in lettin' you see her," Doc Mitchell says.

"Thanks Doc," a woman says. My eyes fly open. Doc Mitchell comes back into the room, with a woman following close behind him. I recognize her. She smiles widely, blue eyes filling with tears. She rushes over to me, she short caramel waves bouncing with every rushed step.

"Cam!" she exclaims, enveloping me in a tight embrace. I hold tightly. Only one name comes to my mind now and I know it's hers.

"Marla," I say into her chest. Marla, my older sister. She pulls back and kisses my forehead before turning my head to the side.

"We did good," she says over her shoulder. Doc Mitchell comes up beside her, nodding. "Maybe it won't scar too bad."

"Why don't you sit next to her, Marla. It's important that she's relaxed for this test." Marla sits next to me and Doc, across from me in a chair. Marla takes my hand, giving it a squeeze. Everything about myself is fuzzy. What kind of tests is he going to make me do?

"All right Camilla, I'm gonna say a word. I want you to say the first thing that comes to mind." I nod.

"Okay." he takes a breath.

"Dog." a picture comes to mind, but I can't remember the name of the animal. I look at Marla.

"What are those things called that have a long tail and walk around on all fours like dogs but are fluffy with whiskers?" she blinks at me.

"Umm cat?" I think for a moment. Yes. Cat. That's what those are. I look at Doc.

"Cat." he writes something down.

"House."

"Renovate."

"Night." I pause.

"Uhh, pictures in your head while you sleep." he looks at Marla, so I do too.

"Dreams?" she answers. I nod.

"Okay then. Bandit."

"Stab." he grins a little.

"Light."

"Dark."

"Mother."

"Genes." he writes a few more things down. Marla rubs over the back of my hand.

"Okay. Now I've got a few statements I want you to tell me how much they sound like something you'd say." I nod again. I'm getting really tired and my head still hurts. "First one; Conflict just ain't in my nature." I think for a moment. Is that me? I bit my lip.

"Strongly agree." well it is now.

"I ain't given to relying on others for support."

"Agree." I know that one's true.

"I'm always fixin' to be the center of attention." I shake my head.

"Strongly disagree." I rub my forehead with my free hand.

"I'm slow to embrace new ideas."

"Strongly disagree."

"I charge in to deal with my problems head-on."

"No opinion." he nods. I look at Marla. She kisses my forehead again. Guess I answered right.

"I have one more test I want to get done but it can wait until you've got somethin' in you and rested a bit." I nod. Marla stands. I slowly slide to my feet. Marla keeps me steady. She leads me into the next room and we sit on the couch.

Doc Mitchell comes in and hands me a warm can. It smells alright. I carefully put a spoonful in my mouth. Tastes alright too. I go back for another and miss my mouth. Marla giggles. I glare at her.

"Want some help?" I shake head but then I miss the next spoonful. I sigh and hand her the can. I can see a torn label, reading Pork'n Beans. What a weird name.

Marla holds the spoon up for me. I eat what's in it. She does this a few more times before I'm done.

"Marla, I'm tired." she puts the can on the floor.

"Wanna sleep here or on the bed in the other room?" I put my aching head in her lap. She gently runs a hand through my hair. I've been so distracted I didn't notice how tired I am. I close my eyes. "Sleep tight, Cam." I slowly drift to sleep.

**Marla**

Mitchell comes in shortly after Cam falls asleep. He looks us over. I keep stroking Cam's straight, strawberry blonde locks.

"So, how'd we do?" he asks.

"Well other than her forgetting words she's known all her life, we did good."

"Good," he nods, "good." he sits down on the chair across from the couch. "With all that damage, she's bound to have some issues. Might be some anomic aphasia." I nod. Sounds about right.

"Only time will tell though." he nods again. I smile down at her. I'm glad he was there with me. If it'd been just me working on her, I would have panicked too much and probably lost her.

"I don't mean to pry but her answer when I said mother… it's been bothering me. Did you two not have a good relationship with her?" I shake my head.

"She died when Cam was two. We didn't have any mother figures growing up." he nods.

"That make sense then." he stands and hands me a form. "Fill out this form for her medical history and we can forget about any other tests I was gonna do." I take the form from him. "When she wakes up we'll talk more." I nod and fill out the form quickly. Seeing as I've been her doctor since I was fully trained, it's easy. I hand it back to him. He takes it and leaves. I look at her again.

"What are we going to be in for, Cam?"

**Camilla**

_My hands are tied in front of me. I struggle to get them free._

_"Guess who's waking up over here?" I look up and see three men. One with a mohawk, one without, and one wearing a god-awful checkered suit jacket. Checkered suit takes a long drag from his cigarette before dropping it and stomping on it with his foot._

_"Time to cash out," he says. I keep struggling with my hands._

_"Would you just get it over with?" no mohawk asks, sounding more than irritated with checkered suit._

_"Maybe Khans kill people without looking them in the face, but ain't a fink, dig?" he takes a platinum chip out of his coat pocket and shows it to me. "You've made you last delivery kid." he puts it back and takes out something else. "Sorry you got twisted up in this scene." he voice lacks the feeling behind his words. "From where you're kneeling it must seem like as 18-carat run of bad luck. Truth is… the game was rigged from the start."_

_I shoot up breathing heavy as gunshots split my skull, causing it to pound and throb._

"Cam?" Marla asks softly. I grip my head and try to control my breathing. Most of the dream is gone but I can still hear the last thing that was said.

She touches my shoulder. I look at her for a moment before Doc Mitchell comes into the room.

"Everyone alright?" Marla rubs down my arm.

"Think Cam just had a nightmare." I look at him and then back to her.

"Who shot me?" I ask with a shaky voice. She looks at Doc before shaking her head.

"I don't know. You were in the saloon while I was talking with Doc here. We heard the shots, but I didn't even know where to look." I look at Doc Mitchell.

"Do you know anything about the man that shot me?" he shakes his head.

"I didn't see him or the men with him. You might ask around town, though. Could be someone saw which way they was headed." I nod. "Your best bet would probably be Trudy, the bartender at the saloon up the road. If anyone saw anything, she'd know about it." I sit back against the couch, still holding my head.

"Who was it that rescued me?"

"That'd be Victor," Doc replies, "Curious fella. Sort of odd. And I don't just mean 'cause he's a robot. I couldn't tell you much about him. He's real friendly, don't get me wrong. You just get the sense that ain't the whole picture. Just a feeling." I look at him. My head hurts too bad for this shit. "Keeps to himself mostly. You want to know more about him, you'll have to ask him yourself. He has a shack on the southern edge of town." I don't say anything. "Oh, before I forget." Doc gets up and leave the room for a moment only to come back in with an armful of stuff. "one of the townsfolk dropped this off while you was sleepin'. Said they found it near where Victor found you and guessed it might be yours." He sets some items in my lap. I pull my hand from my head and look at one strange object only to just then notice that my sister has the same thing on her wrist.

"Your Pipboy!" she says happily. "I thought it was lost. I worked so hard to get it for you." I blink at her. I can't remember. I look at it and tinker with it a bit before it lights up again. A part of me knows I could have fixed it if it didn't power up right away. I set it next to me on the couch. There're some boots, pants with ripped knees, a smaller gun that I hardly remember using and a small bag. Marla gets up and grabs some other things that look like fabric.

"I got these while you were out. Your shirt was a bloody mess." She adds to the pile in my lap. I look at the shirt. It's two colors one being black, but I can't remember the name of the other one and it's shorter than it should be. I rub my fingers over the color I can't remember. I look at Marla.

"Why can't I remember things?" She looks over my face.

"Like what?"

"Like cat or dreams or whatever the fuck this color is?" I point to it.

"That's red. You had some serious brain damage." I huff a little. "It's call anomic aphasia. It just means that you've forgotten what some things are called but not how to use them. It just takes time to get over it." I grumble a little and look at the jacket. It's black leather with two leather straps on the front and under it make me so excited. A dusty and dirty pre-war baseball cap. I'd know them anywhere. I hold it up and inspect it farther. It's in great shape.

"You remember that?" she asks. I nod.

"How could I forget?"

"Remember how you always wanted to play baseball back in 101 like-" her voice catches. "Like Donovan." I think for a moment about the name. Tears fill my eyes when I think about him or his father, James who was like a father to me and Marla.

"But I never got the chance because we followed him when he left the vault." she nods. I put the cap on, careful of my head wound.

"I knew you two had to be from a vault when I saw that Pipboy," Doc says. We both nod.

"We're from vault 101 in the Capital Wasteland. Cam was born there but we both grew up there." he nods.

"Know what that like. I grew up in Vault 21, on the strip. Had my old Pipboy around here somewhere." I take off my cap to pull on the shirt. To my surprise it ties in the front. I take my time tying it, but I do it all by myself. I put the cap back on my head. Marla laughs.

"I knew you'd like it, but I didn't know you'd like it that much." I shrug. It blocks out the light and helps my head not hurt as bad.

"While you're up, you should go talk to Sunny Smiles. If not now, then at least before you leave town. She can help you remember how to fend for yourself in the desert. She'll likely be at the saloon." he get up. "But anyways, try not to get killed anymore." I smirk a little.

"Thanks Doc. I'll try real hard." he grins as he gets up and leaves us along again.

"Finish getting dressed. We'll ask around town about the guy that shot you and if your head hurts too much we'll see if we can stay here one more night." I look at her.

"You want to leave now?" she nods.

"That bastard has to pay for what he's done, and he's already got two days on us. Plus, I feel a little cooped up." I roll my eyes.

"Fine." I shove everything out of my lap and stand. I pull my pants on and sit back down to pull on my boots. Like my shirt I have to take my time lacing them up, but I do it. I put the gun on my hip, along with the small bag. Marla gets up and pull out two bigger bags from the corner of the room. She hands one to me.

"I got us some other clothes and supplies too while you were out." I pull my bag on my shoulders.

"Try not to sound too excited. I feel like shit." I grab my jacket.

"Not to worry. We'll take it easy on you." she grabs my hand and pulls me out the door.

The light burns my eyes and makes my head throb. The hat helps a little but not enough. I follow Marla up the road where there's a small store next to the saloon. It looks kind of familiar, but I can't remember. We walk up the steps. An older man nods at us as we go inside. Marla opens the door and holds it open for me.

The saloon is dimly lit which eases the pain behind my eyes. There's a woman standing near the pool table with a dog resting under it. She looks at us. The dog growls a little.

"Cheyenne, stay. Don't worry, she won't bite unless I tell her to," the woman says coming over to us. Cheyenne trails behind her.

"Are you Sunny?" Marla asks. She nods.

"Sure am." She looks at me. "Hi there." Then back to Marla. "Sticking around Goodsprings for a while longer?" Marla nods.

"Doc Mitchell said you could help me remember how to survive in the desert," I say. She looks back at me.

"Yeah, I guess there's a thing or two I could show you. Sounds like you need all the help you can get after what they done to you." I nod.

"That's why she's got her older sister with her," Marla adds, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. Sunny smiles at us.

"Meet me outside, behind the saloon." I nod. She slips passed us and heads outside with Cheyenne behind her. Marla grips my shoulders.

"Do you want me to come with you?" I look up at her.

"What are you going to do?" She looks around.

"I'll see if I can get some info on the guy that shot you, see where he went." I nod.

"Okay. I should be fine." She moves the hat up and kisses my forehead.

"Be safe okay?" I nod. She rights my hat and lets me go. I head out the door and walk around the side of the saloon. Sunny looks like she's setting up some bottles on the fence. Now that we're outside I can see she's got brown hair pulled back into a bun and brown eyes.

"You got a gun?" I nod and pull it off my hip. "9mm. Not bad." she steps back a few feet. I follow her. She hands it back to me before taking her rifle off her back. She shoots one of the bottles before helping me line up a shot. I shoot a few bottles after a few tries. She also shows me how to reload. I can tell she's please with herself. Now that I've been shown again everything is very familiar.

"Well, that's a start. But I don't reckon you came to me to learn to fight sarsaparilla bottles. I laugh a little.

"No. believe it or not I've been having problems remembering how to do things." She pats my shoulder.

"Looks like you're doin' just fine to me. Tell you what. I gotta go chase geckos away from out water supply anyway. Darn critters are attracted to it. Why don't you come along?" I think about it for a moment. It would probably be good for me.

"Alright. Couldn't hurt." She smiles.

"Follow me. it's just down to the southeast a short ways. Shouldn't take more than a couple minutes. Especially with two of us." She starts down the hill. I follow after her.

It doesn't take us long before she slows down. She pulls her gun and gets low. I do the same.

"They're just up a head. They're fast lil' shits." I nod. I see some movement before I can tell what it is, Sunny fires. Two more geckos start towards us. I line up my shot and fire a few times before one falls over. Sunny takes out the other in one shot.

"Those are nasty." she nods.

"They're good eating, but that's about it." I nod. "We got some geckos to clear out up on the ridge behind me." I sigh. This is going to be longer than a few minutes.

* * *

 

Sunny and I walk back to the saloon with Cheyenne trotting between us. Sunny showed me how to clean up the geckos for cooking. She pats my shoulder again.

"You're getting the hang of it. I'm bettin' in a couple days your shot will be as good as it always was." I grin a little. "Hope I didn't miss anything good on the jukebox. Cheyenne would never forgive me." I laugh some.

"Thanks for helping me out Sunny. I know you didn't have to."

"Hey, you helped me with our problem too. Here's a little spending money for the trouble." she takes my hand and puts a small pouch in it. I look inside and see some caps. "Do me a favor." I look at her. "Trudy- she's the bartender up at the Prospector, kind of the town mom- she'll like to know that you're okay. You were in before you got shot and she'd be cross with me if I didn't ask you to poke your head in and say hi."

"I don't see any problems with that. Marla's still at the saloon as far as I know."

"Good. It's nice that you have someone with you." I nod.

"I'm glad I have her too. I doubt I'd remember anything without her." we continue walking back to the saloon quietly. I hope Marla was able to figure more out about the asshole that shot me.


	2. One Foot Out of the Grave

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to let anyone who's getting in to this that the next update will be slow coming. Long story short I lost my job and I have to move in order to have a job. But I hope you enjoy! Comments are very welcome!

**Marla**

I watch Cam leave the saloon. If Doc can trust Sunny, I can trust her too. I start into the room with a bar. There's a dark skinned man arguing with the bar tender. I catch the words 'hand over' and 'Ringo' before he shoves passed me to the front door. What an asshole. I look back at the bar tender. She looks a bit frazzled, fixing her dark red hair. I go over and take a seat on a stool. She looks at me with warm brown eyes. She looks a little older than Sunny but not by much. Both women can't be more than a few years older than me. She rights her light brown cardigan.

"Hello there, darlin'." she smiles at me.

"Hello." I smile back at her.

"Don't think I've seen you 'round town. You aren't the one Doc fixed up, are you?" I shake my head.

"No, that was my sister. I helped him fix her up, though." she nods.

"Well I'm Trudy. Welcome to the Prospector saloon."

"Marla." I take a breath. "Who was that man you were arguing with?" she sighs.

"He's a convict. Just without the chains. His name's Joe Cobb. Powder Gangers." she sighs. I tilt my head to the side a little. I've only been in the Mojave for a couple years and I haven't heard that term before.

"Powder Gangers?" she nods.

"Chain gangs, really. The NCR brought them in from California to work on the rail lines. Turns out giving convicts a bunch of dynamite and blasting powder isn't the best idea." she sighs softly. "Was a big escape not too long ago." Explains why I haven't heard of them. NCR are always doing things they shouldn't be doing.

"So what was the argument about?" she starts to wipe down the bar top.

"Our little town got itself dragged into the middle of something we don't want anything to do with."

"Oh."

"About a week ago, this trader, Ringo, came to town. Said he was a survivor of an attack and needed a place to hide. We figured he was just in shock, so we gave him a place. We didn't actually expect anyone to come after him."

"So where's he at now?"

"He's holed up at the abandoned gas station up that hill." I nod.

"So what are you going to do?" she shakes her head.

"Some of the other would probably help Ringo, if he asked but he hasn't. Personally I hope he sneaks out of town one night and takes the Powder Gangers with him." I think for a moment. If Ringo is up the road, they must not be looking too hard. I bite my lip. This town has already done so much for us… I bet we could help him and them.

"What happens if I help Ringo?" she blinks at me. "You guys have done so much for my sister and I, I want to help in any way I can."

"Well if you were able to get Ringo out of this mess, we'd just about love you for it, plus I'd set you up with a discount." I nod. "But you two better watch out for those Gangers. There's a lot of them out there." I nod again. Guess Cam and I have to be on the lookout for them. I start to get up when I remember why I came in here to talk to her.

"Hey Trudy, I'm looking for any info on the people that attacked my sister. Would you happen to know anything about them?" she shrugs.

"Not too much. Just a bunch of assholes who thought they could get a few rounds on the house but I got them to pay up."

"How many?"

"Three. Couple of Great Khans and a classier lookin' guy. One of the Khan's did knock over my radio, hasn't worked since."

"Sorry about that." she shrugs again. "Did you happen to hear where they were headed?"

"Not exactly. The leader was talkin' about the Strip." That's where Cam and I were headed. "Fella wants to avoid the 15."

"And take highway 93?" she nods. Easy enough to get that on my Pipboy.

"They were having an argument about it but the classier guy in the checkered coat kept shushing them. Sounded like they came in from the north through Quarry Junction. Can't say I blame them for not wanting to go back." Cam and I heard about that place and we were going to avoid it too. I don't want to even think about dealing with deathclaws.

"Know anything about Victor?" Her eyes shift around the room like she's looking for him.

"He mostly keeps to himself but I don't trust him, don't buy the whole cheerful cowboy act. I find it very creepy."

"Thanks. Why don't you give me your radio. I can look at it for you." Her eyes widen.

"Really?" she hands it to me. "The outside looks okay, but I think something broke on the inside. I can give you some caps if you can fix it. I do like hearing what's goin' on in the world." I slide off my stool.

"I'll be back soon." She smiles.

"Bring your sister. I'd love to chat with her."

"I will," I smile back. I head for the door, making notes about what Trudy told me in my Pipboy. I wonder if I have time to go find Ringo before Cam and Sunny get done.

I step out in the hot sun and look for the gas station. I spot it off to my right and walk up the hill.

There's an old pre-war car in the garage. I'm betting Cam could find something in there that's be useful. I find the door and push it open. I barely get inside before I have a gun I my face.

"That's close enough," a man's voice says. I can only assume that this _charmer_ is Ringo. "Who are you and what do you want with me?"

"Look asshole, get the gun out of my face or you're going to have a bigger problem than Powder Gangers." He eyes me for a moment before lowering his gun.

"Sorry about the gun. You caught me off guard." He rubs the back of his neck. His brown hair is all messed up, his clothes are wrinkled and messed up too. He looks like he hasn't slept in a week. It also smells like he hasn't left this room for a week. I don't want to move from where I'm standing so I don't step in anything.

"Joe Cobb's looking for you, you know that?"

"Yeah." he looks at me. "He doesn't look very tough, though. I hear he's afraid I'll shoot him down from the one of the windows when I see him and he's right." he rubs the back of his neck again. I roll my eyes. This guy is kind of a loser. "I'll have much bigger problems when his friends get here. Can't be much longer now. He knows I'm here and that there's no way I could handle all of them in a gun fight." I cross my arms. Sob story if I ever heard one.

"So how many of them did you kill to piss them off?"

"A few."

"And how many of them do you think are coming here?"

"At least a dozen, I'd say. And that was just the group that attacked us." I roll my eyes again.

"God you're an _idiot_. You're not going to be able to lie low much longer. In case you didn't notice, this town isn't big and you brought the _whole_ fucking place into _your_ mess." his eyes are wide.

"I've got no chance against them on my own." I pinch the bridge of my nose. Butch DeLoria wasn't this thick.

"Well just your luck, I'm here to help you, dumbfuck."

"We'd just end up sharing the same grave if it's just the two of us. Now if some of the other people in town were also on board…" I pinch the bridge of my nose again. He really is stupid. Like I hadn't already thought of that after talking with Trudy. "Look all I've got in a handful of caps, but you get me out of the mess and I'll make sure the Crimson Caravan pays you back. You've got my word." Why does everyone insist on paying you for just trying to be nice. I look at him. For whatever reason I get the feeling his word isn't worth very much.

"Fine whatever." I roll my eyes. "Just wait here until I come back and try not to do anything stupid." I yank open the door and walk out. I never thought I'd actually prefer the baking sun over the inside of a building. I head back down the hill towards the Prospector. There's two figures walking towards it too. I know the shorter one is my sister. A dog trots alongside them. I grin a little. Good to know Sunny's trustworthy.

I meet them in front of the steps to the Prospector. Cam smiles at me.

"We killed some geckos." I can't help but smile at her.

"Sounds fun Cam." I hand her the radio.

"What's this?" She looks it over. I can tell she doesn't quiet remember it.

"Trudy's radio. It's broken but I know you can fix it." She looks up at me. I look at Sunny. "So Sunny… I'm-we're going to help Ringo take on the Powder Gangers… and we might need help."  
"Say no more. I'm in. I thought I saw some coming this way. Joe Cobb and his friends will come after the town eventually, even if we hand over Ringo." she sighs. "I'll talk to Trudy, see if she can get more to help us. Go see if Chet will let us borrow some of his leather armor shipment." I nod.

"I'll see if Doc has anything that can help too." Sunny and Cheyenne head inside. Cam looks lost.

"What are we doing?"

"We are helping an idiot who dragged the town that helped you into a mess." I pat her shoulder. "Why don't you go sit next to that nice man over there and rest a bit before those guys get here." she nods. "You can fix the radio while you're at it." she looks at it again. "Be back real quick, Cam. You can do it." I don't wait for her answer before turning and going to Doc Mitchell's.

**Camilla**

I walk up the steps and sit next to the old man. My head still hurts but not nearly as bad as before. I look at him.

"Howdy, little lady," he says tipping his hat at me. "What can Easy Pete do for you?" I blink at him. That's an odd name.

"Why are you called Easy Pete?" He grins a little.

"Was a prospector until I decided to settle here. Now I take it easy and help out with the Brahmin and Bighorners." I look at the radio. Marla told me to fix it and I get the feeling I know how even though I have no clue why.

"Did you ever find anything good?" I look in the smaller bag on my belt.

"Nope. Had a pretty good claim once way out east by the river but got run off by Raiders. Eventually got too old to keep going out." I find a screw driver and a few bits of wire. I turn the radio over and start opening up the back.

"So you were looking for gold and silver?" he laughs.

"You're a funny little thing. No. It means I poked through old buildings looking for working tech and such. Some folks just called it 'salvaging' but never liked the term. Way I see it, salvage means it's broken, near-worthless. Me, I looked for the good stuff - guns, chems, spare parts. Good money in it." I pull off the back of the radio and set it next to me. I examine the insides. While so many things about myself are still jumbled in my head, just out of reach, this isn't one of them. I know exactly what's causing problems and how to fix it. I quickly reconnect some wires and close up the back. I turn it over and try it out. It flickers to life. I grin. I feel like I've actually accomplished something that wasn't relearned. I flip it off and look at Easy Pete.

"By any chance would you know anything about the people who attacked me?" he shrugs.

"One in the fancy suit seemed to be callin' the shots, that as much as I know. Bet you could ask more folks around town." I nod. "Word of advice though: if you ever catch up with him, watch out. The man's got cold eyes like a snake. Can't be trusted, I'd say." I look at the radio again. I know that much. Fucker tried his best to kill me. I think back to the dream I had this morning. Wonder if that was him, in that awful checker suit. I rub the edge of the radio.

"Do you know anything about Victor?"

"The machine?" I look at him and nod. "Harmless, no matter what Trudy says. She thinks it's hiding something, but I think it's just a broke down relic with no place to be." I nod again. He'd really the only lead I've got at the moment. I hope Marla will want to talk to him as much as I do.

Movement catches my eye across the road. I look up at see a group of people coming into town and I don't like the looks of them.

Marla appears out of nowhere and runs up the steps. She pushes into the saloon without a word to me. I wish she'd given more to go on with whatever's going on.

She comes out a moment later with Sunny and a few other people.

"Chet said he'd help. You guys get over to him. I'm going to go get Ringo," she says. I look at her.

"Marla?" she looks at me.

"Cam, just stay here and get your gun ready, okay?" I nod before she runs off again. I look at Sunny.

"What's going on?"

"We're about to have a shootout with those nasty criminals over there," she answers without looking at me.

* * *

Marla and I look through the pockets of the dead convicts. Marla stops and looks over one. He's got darker skin but that's about all I can make out.

"He doesn't seem so tough now," she mumbles.

"That'll teach those Powder Gangers not mess with Goodsprings," Sunny says. Marla stands up and sighs.

"Cam did you fix that radio?" She looks me over. I nod.

"Yep. Its wasn't hard." She grins at me before looking at Sunny.

"Hey Sunny, can you introduce Cam to Trudy while I settle up with Ringo and tell him again what an idiot he is?" Sunny snorts.

"Sure can." She turns and heads inside. I look at Marla.

"It shouldn't take long. Don't worry, Trudy's really nice." I nod and follow after Sunny, grabbing the radio off the chair where in left it.

Sunny's waiting right inside the door for me with Cheyenne sitting beside her.

"Trudy's right behind the bar." I nod and head over. A woman a little older than Sunny and my sister look at me. She smiles.

"So you're the one that Doc patched up." I blink at her. "I'm Trudy."

"Cam. I fixed this for you." I put the radio on the bar. She smiles brightly and flips it on. It flicks to life. A man's voice pours out of it.

"Oh thank you so much! It may not be much but I love this damn thing." I smile as she turns and sets the radio next to the register. She turns back and puts some caps in my hand. I start to shake my head.

"Trudy-"

"Nope. You deserve a few caps for fixing that." I sigh. She pays my hand. "Now you two be careful out there. There are a lot more of those Powder Gangers out there. I don't want to hear about you gettin' shot again."

"We'll be careful," Maria's voice says behind me. I look over my shoulder as she steps up beside me. Trudy smiles at her.

"Alright. You two come back and visit soon. I hope you catch up to the bastards that shot you."

"Me too," I agree.

"We'll be back someday." Marla looks at me. "Ready to get out of here?" I nod. We start outside.

"Good luck ladies," Sunny says. We wave at her as we exit the building.

"We have to go see Victor before we go," I say, suddenly remembering about him. Marla sighs.

"I doubt he'll have anything to offer."

"Marla, he saved my life, I have to thank him for that." She stops walking. I look at her. "Don't you want to know how he saved me?" She looks me over.

"Half a memory and you still know how to get me to do what you want." I smile and grab her hand, looking for Victor's shack. I spot it and start to pull her over to it.

We make it over to the shack. Victor's screen flashes to a man's face with a cigar sticking out of his mouth and a hat on his head.

"Howdy partner," he says.

"Hi Victor," I reply looking him over. "Do you remember me?"

"Sure do. Glad to see you're up a walkin'." I look at Marla. She looks a little annoyed.

"I just wanted to see if you could tell me about how you found me."

"Well, I was out for a stroll that night when I heard the commotion up at the old bone orchard. Saw what looked like a bunch of bad eggs so I laid low. Once they'd run off, I dug you up to see if you were still kickin'. Turns out, you were, so I hauled you off to the Doc right quick but ended up giving you to her." I look back at Marla. She nods.

"Sounds about right. You ready?"

" _Marla_." I turn back to Victor. "Do you know who those bad eggs were?"

"Can't say I'm familiar with the rascals." I nod and sigh.

"Okay, well thanks again for digging me out."

"Don't mention it! I'm always ready to lend a helping hand to a stranger in need." I give him a small wave and look at Marla.

" _Now_ I'm ready." she groans.

"About time." We start down the road out of town. Marla looks at her PipBoy.

"So where are we going?"

"To Primm. It's where the Mojave Express is. They should know more about your package."

"Oh." I look at my feet as we walk.

"After that, we should be able to make it to the NCR outpost before dark. We can probably stay there for the night." I sigh and look up from the road. My head still hurts but I don't think it'll start feeling better for a while.

"Okay." Guess this is as good as any place to start.


	3. Convicts, Robots, Whiskey, and Headaches

**Camilla**

Marla's quiet while we walk. She seems to be keeping track of where we're going. My eyes hurt from the sun and it's making my head throb. Just as I open my mouth to ask how far we have to go, I see a huge per-war roller coaster. It doesn't look that far away either.

"That's Primm?" I ask. Marla sighs.

"Yeah. Look like they've got something going on too." I'm not sure what she sees that I don't but I doubt she's wrong.

"Marla?" I glance at her. She looks up from her Pipboy. "Did you ever ask Trudy about who shot me?" she nods.

"Yeah. I was going to wait until we stopped for the night to tell you." I think about the nightmare I had back at Doc Michell's.

"You don't have to tell me everything." she sighs again.

"Trudy said that there were two Great Khans and a man in a checkered suit." I feel the color drain from my face as my heart beats faster.

"A ch-checkered suit."

"Yep. Once we track them down, we'll figure out who shot you." I stumble a little before taking a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself. I don't know if I should tell her about my nightmare. It could be nothing, but the guy in the checkered suit… I shake my head, trying to clear it. My gut tells me that it was more than a nightmare.

We come up on a few dilapidated buildings quickly. I look around. This all looks familiar. By the way Marla's walking, I know we've been here before.

"Hey! Where the hell do you think you're going?" an NCR officer shouts as he runs up to us. "Primm is off limits." He's much taller than me and puffs out his chest a little. I look over at Marla.

"Since fucking when?" she spits, crossing her arms.

"Since some convicts from the prison up the road have taken over the town. Everyone inside is either dead or in hiding." his eyes linger on Marla for a moment before looking back to me. "There are two tribes of raiders causing trouble in this area as well. You'd be safer heading back up to Goodsprings." I adjust my hat a little.

"Look dude, we've dealt with Powder Gangers before and we've dealt with worse. If you're so fucking worried why isn't the NCR protecting the town?"

"W-we don't have the resources." he's a little paler now than he was before.

"We're going into Primm. Maybe we can help." Marla walks passed him. I follow after her. From what I do remember about growing up with her, she's never let people walk all over her.

She stops just before crossing the bridge and holds out her arm to stop me. I look at the ground in front of us. I see some things that don't look like they belong there.

"You see the exploding ground thingys?" I ask. She looks at me.

"Yes. They're called land mines." I nod. "They must have put them out to keep the convicts in. Fuckers are keeping the people in too." I look across the bridge. There's a few people out but they're all against the building, trying to stay in the shade. "Okay," Marla sighs suddenly. I look at her. "I'm to get rid of these things. Watch my back, 'kay?" I nod again. I pull my pistol and keep watch.

Marla and I finish off the few convicts that are lingering outside. We stop by the body outside the Mojave Express. Poor guy. Looks like the convicts caught him by surprise. I squat down and search through his pockets.

"Don't think I've seen this guy before," Marla says. I glance at her. She's keeping watch.

"We've been here before, right?" she nods.

"About a week ago. You picked up your package from here and then we went to Goodsprings." I pull out a piece of paper that looks oddly familiar. I start to read it over. He was a courier like me, but it looks like he finished delivering his package. I grab the few caps he has left and pocket them.

"Let's go inside. This guy isn't anyone we're looking for." Marla yanks open the door. We hurry inside. It looks like someone's already been through here. Marla does a quick sweep while I look through the front area.

"There's no one here?" she calls.

"There's nothing here that'll help." she comes back into the room.

"Guess we're going to the casino."

We exit the Mojave Express and walk down the street. Both of us are looking for trouble but neither of us find it. We pull open the doors to the Vikki and Vance Casino. I hear a few guns cock before seeing an older man with dark skin. He looks at us. He looks so familiar, but just like this town I have no memories of him.

"Don't know what brought you to Primm, girls, but you might want to rethink your plans. Town's gone to hell." He lowers his gun. I look at Marla.

"What happened here? It's been a week since we were last here," she says. He looks between us again, eyes lingering on me.

"Some thugs kidnapped our deputy. It started with the breakout from the prison up the road. First there was just a few thugs rolling through town, but then they got organized. Damn Powder Gangsters. They killed the sheriff and his wife, too."

"I remember him," Marla says but doesn't go further.

"We were hoping you could tell us about this job," I say. I pull out my delivery order and hand it to him. He reads it over.

"Oh, Courier Six. Thought you looked familiar." he hands the paper back to me. "That job had strange written all over it. But we couldn't turn down the caps." my heart beats faster.

"Someone tried to kill me and took my package." he blinks at me. "What was strange about it?"

"That cowboy robot had us hire six couriers. Each was carrying something a little different. A pair of dice, a chess piece, that kind of stuff. Last word I had from the office, it looked like payment had been received for the other five jobs. Guess it was just your chip that didn't make it." I look at Marla. Could that be Victor or some other robot? "First deadbeat we hired to do the job canceled. Hope a storm from the Divide skins him alive. Well, that's where you came in." there was someone else before me?

"Who was it? Do you remember what he looked like?" he shakes his head no.

"Yeah, got this look when he saw you next down on the Courier list. His expression turned right around, asked me if your name was for real. I said, right as rain, you were still kicking. Then he turned down the job, just like that. I asked if he was sure, it was good money. No, let Courier Six carry the package, that's what he said- like the Mojave'd sort you out or something. Then he just up and walked out."

"Do you know where he went?" maybe he's the reason someone tried to kill me. he shakes his head again.

"No idea. Sounds like you two had a history for him to act like that. And turn down the money, too. Hope he didn't see any trouble in that package of yours. Maybe he thought your name was bad luck. Not for me to say." I rub my forehead.

"The men that tried to kill my sister and took her package were a couple of Great Khans and a man in a checkered suit," Marla says. "Did they come through town?" he crosses his arms.

"Before I let that kind of information go, I need you girls to help me out with something." I exchange a look with my sister.

"What do you need?"

"Since those punks killed our sheriff we need a new one." I see a robot walking farther into the casino.

"Oh yeah? How are we supposed to find one of those in a town full of criminals? You want us to get the deputy back?" he opens his mouth.

"What about that robot over there?" I ask cutting him off.

"Primm Slim? Well I guess I never thought of that. I guess he could be sheriff, if you think he could be reprogrammed for it." I nod.

"I can do that."

"Out with the info," Marla snaps.

"A few nights back one of the townies was out scavenging for supplies. He said he saw a fella with a daisy suit come through with some of them Great Khan misfits. They was talking about a chip."

"What about where they were going?"

"Well Deputy Beagle had some notes he was taking while he was eavesdropping around the Powder Gangsters. He'll be your best source of information on that subject." Marla groans and pinches the bridge of her nose.

"Where's he at?" she asks.

"He was slinking around Bison Steve when your pretty-boy friend came through. He may have heard where they were going."

"Great. Thanks for all the help."

"Don't forget to reprogram Primm Slim." he turns and walks away.

"Fuckin' old man." she looks at me. "Why don't you go play with the robot for a bit. I'll go scout out Bison Steve."

"Okay. You're not going in there without me, right?" she kisses my forehead.

"Be back in a few."

"Marla-" she runs out the door. I roll my eyes and go over to the robot.

* * *

Marla comes back a while a later with a man in tow. I finished reprogramming Primm Slim a while ago. The man stumbles away from her as she comes over to me.

"And I thought Ringo was worthless," she sighs. "How goes the Sheriff?" I cross my arms.

"He's been finished for a while. What the hell Marla!? I thought you were going take me with you."

"I was but then I was scouting the place out and they were going to kill the worthless Deputy Beagle so I had to act fast." I roll my eyes.

"Just because I'm your little sister doesn't mean I can't do anything."

"I know, but you just got shot in the head and I want to keep you out of harm's way as long as I can." I huff and start for the doors. She's treating me like a child and I'm not. "Cam. Cam wait." she comes after me. "He, uh, gave me this holotape." she holds it out to me. I take it and head outside. She follows me. I pop it into my Pipboy.

 _"This is most unusual! The Powder Gangers have visitors today. I guess there's a first for everything! …Now those tough-looking fellows must be Great Khans. I recognize those funny helmets and leather vests from stories I've heard... So what are they doing with that dapper gentleman who wears a checked suit? I wouldn't mind a suit like that. They're talking about heading south toward Nipton, then west to Novac where they'll meet up with someone... I guess I c-"_ I look at Marla.

"Alright. So we'll go to the outpost and then to Novac." she puts her hands on her hips. "Should take us a few days but we'll be okay." I look at her.

"Only if you stop treating me like a child. I'm doing just fine."

"Cam-"

"No. Let's get going." I start to stomp towards the bridge. My head hurts and I want to sleep. I hear Marla come after me and we get back on the road.

* * *

**Marla**

Cam doesn't speak to me the whole way to the outpost. She doesn't even say anything when I tell her how good her shots were killing some giant ants. We start up the hill to the outpost. The sun's starting to go down so I'm glad we're so close. I can see the ridiculous statues standing at the top of the hill. The NCR are so full of themselves. I've heard of these statues before but I'd never actually seen them until now. They're supposed to represent unity but I think they're just a beacon for trouble.

I see Cam look up at them but she doesn't say anything about them. We keep heading towards the outpost. There's a few people hanging about outside. I can see a couple of caravans outside. I'm surprised that they're not on the road.

A NCR man walks up to us.

"Coming from the North?" he says sounding a little impressed. "Must be crazy to brave those roads."

"It's the people you have to watch out for," I answer. He nods, a slight grin on his lips.

"Sergeant Kilborn." I nod. "If you're looking to help out around here, Ranger Jackson is the one you want to talk to. The barracks are right over there. There's a bar in there too. Watch out for Ranger Ghost on the roof." I nod and look at Cam. She's already started walking towards the barracks. I follow after her.

"Cam." she glances at me.

"I'm tired and my head hurts, Marla. Barracks means beds right?" I shrug a little.

"More or less." We head inside. "I guess I'll come find you in a bit." She doesn't say anything and heads down a hall. Maybe she'll stop being mad at me after she's rested some. I sigh and sit down at the bar. Two stools away is a woman. She's got on a dark brown jacket, jeans, and a cowboy hat on top of her head. She's staring into her glass in front of her. She traces around the rim of the glass.

"You a caravanner?" I ask. She glances at me.

" _Was_. Had a shitty week." she's got a little twang in her voice. I lean on my hand, staring at the bar top.

"Me too."

"Look, I ain't here to swap sob stories in this shithole." I look at her. I notice a pink plaid shirt under her jacket and a shotgun on her back. I can smell the whiskey now and it burns my throat. Never been one for whiskey.

"Wanna get out of this shithole?" she stares me down for a moment. "My sister got shot in the head a few days ago and we could really use some help." she downs what's left in her glass and then just goes straight to the bottle.

"Even if I wanted to, the washed up old fuck-up in charge here won't let anyone leave. Says it ain't safe on the road. And I'll need a lot of whiskey."

"So I'll get you some whiskey and talk to the guy in charge. You wanna get out of here or not?" she shrugs and turns back to her bottle. I roll my eyes. I think Cam's got some whiskey in her bag. I get up from the bar and head down the hallway to find Cam.

It doesn't take me long to find her. She's curled up on a bed, sleeping soundly. I go over and set my bag down next to hers before I slide on to the bed next to her. It's small but I feel bad taking up another bed. I relax next to her. I hadn't realized how tired I am. My eyes get heavy quickly and I drift to sleep.

* * *

**Jaxson**

I stare into my glass of whiskey. I don't usually like the stuff but it sounded good tonight. Good enough to get drunk and try to forget her beautifully tanned, freckly skin, full pinkish lips, hazel eyes that I could stare at forever, and her long strawberry blonde hair.

I sigh and shake my head. Could have sworn I saw her today but I know it's not true. I haven't seen her in two years and yet I still remember her so clearly. No amount of drinking can make me forget. I doubt she'd want to see me even if it was her. Not after what I did.

"Hey, turn that up!" someone shouts. Mr. New Vegas' voice gets louder.

"In other news, a package courier found shot in the head near Goodsprings has reportedly regained consciousness and made a full recovery…" I stop listening, heart racing. How could I have missed this? A courier was shot in the head? I throw back the rest of my drink and leave a few caps on the bar. It may be two years late but I have to find her and make sure she's alright. Maybe she still has feelings for me. Maybe I can tell her how I feel, tell her I'm an idiot.

I shoulder my pack and exit the bar. _Be strong Cami. I'm coming._

* * *

**Camilla**

I wake up feeling well rested. My head isn't even hurting. I sit up and stretch my arms over my head before I see my sister digging through our bags.

"What are you doing?" she grunts a little.

"Looking for whiskey." I shudder a little. I can at least remember I don't like whiskey all that much.

"Why?" she pulls out a bottle.

"Thank God. I knew we had some." She looks at me. "Remember the ants we killed yesterday?" I nod. Neither of us were happy about it. Ants are nasty things, even without shooting flames.

"Well the NCR haven't been letting people leave because of them. Now that they're gone, people can leave."

"Okay?" I raise an eyebrow.

"I met someone yesterday and I think she can help us out."

"So the whiskey is for her?" she nods.

"Hopefully one bottle will do for now. Besides neither of us is going to drink this as our first choice." I nod. She starts to put everything back in our bags. I pull my hat on and get off the bed. I help her pack everything back up.

We shoulder our packs and head down the hall. I notice the same woman from last night sitting at the bar. Marla walks right over to her and sets the bottle next to her. She looks at it.

"This is all we've got right now. If you come with us we can keep up your stock." the woman takes the bottle and stands. She wobbles a little but doesn't fall over.

"I have one other thing I need." Marla puts her hands on her hips.

"What?"

"I want to go see what's left of my caravan." They stare at each other for a moment.

"We'll find time a little later." she nods.

"Name's Cass."

"Marla." she looks at me. "This is my younger sister Camilla." I wave a little. She looks me over and grins.

"How old are you even? You look like you're twelve." she cracks up. I cross my arms. Marla smiles.

"I'm not twelve, I'm twenty," I snap. Cass and Marla crack up more. I roll my eyes. Cass puts her arm around my shoulders.

"Sure Shorty-pants, we'll pretend you're twenty." I sigh. Great, a drunk that makes fun of me. This should be fun.

* * *

An hour later, we're back on the road after filling Cass in on where we're going and who we're after. She said my stitches were cool and that the scar will be cooler. We're heading to a town called Nipton, which is in the same direction as a large cloud of smoke. Marla doesn't seem too concerned about it. I can't remember anything about the town but thinking about it kinda makes me sad. I'm afraid to ask Marla why.

My head starts to hurt the closer we get to Nipton. My stomach is starting to churn too. I can see the rubble before I hear someone shouting.

"Yeeeaaaaaahhhhh!" There's a man running towards us. "I just won the motherfuckin' lotery!" I look at my sister the same time Cass does.

"What fuckin' lottery?" Cass asks as we both look back at him.

"What lottery? _The_ lottery, that's what lottery!" this guy is crazy.

"What happened here?" Marla asks.

"Are you stupid? Only the lottery matters! Oh my god, smell that air!" he runs between me and my sister. "Smell that air!" we watch him run down the road, still shouting about the air. I look back at the town. There's so much smoke. Something is very wrong here.

"Well, we might as well see what's going on," Marla says. I nod and start forward. My heart's racing. We walk slowly. My head's pounding even worse now. There's people strung up on pieces of wood with what looks like cables. The sight is horrifying and I feel like I've seen it before.

"Legion crucified the whole _goddamn_ town," Cass mumbles, holding her shotgun. Marla's breath catches and she grabs my hand quickly. I look up and see a man coming towards us. My stomach twists with nausea as my head starts to feel like it's splitting open.

I can see a dog's head over his and dark glasses over his eyes. He's wearing a red skirt. My breathing speeds up. I know he's bad news. He strolls over to us and stops a few feet away. I grip my sister's arm as well as her hand.

"Don't worry, I won't have you lashed to a cross like the rest of these degenerates. It's useful that you happened by," his voice is cold with no emotion in it. I can't tell where his eyes are looking but I feel myself start to shake a little. "I want you to witness the fate of the town of Nipton, to memorize every detail. And then, when you move on? When you move on, head west to the Mojave Outpost and tell the Profligate troops what you found here."

"What _did_ you do here?" Marla asks. Her voice shakes a little. I can only remember her being scared a few times in my life but I can tell she's scared now. I wish I could remember why he's so frightening.

"Nipton was a wicked place, debased and corrupt. It served all comers, so long as they paid. Profligate troops, Powder Gangers, men of the Legion such as myself - the people here didn't care. It was a town of whores. For a pittance, the town agreed to lead those it had sheltered into a trap. Only when I sprang it did they realize they were caught inside it, too." I can see him looking her up and down. I want to reach for my pistol but I feel too sick and scared to even move.

"You captured everyone?" Cass asks. She's still holding her shotgun, aimed at him but he doesn't even look like he cares.

"Yes, and herded them to the center of town. I told them their sins, the foremost being disloyalty. I told them that when Legionaries are disloyal, some are punished, the others made to watch. And I announced the lottery. Each clutched his ticket, hoping it would set him free. Each did nothing, even when "loved ones" were dragged away to be killed."

"You monster. Slaughtering innocent civilians," Marla growls a little. He chuckles.

"Innocent? Hardly. Cowardly, though. They outnumbered us, yet not once did they try to resist. They stood and watched as their fellows were butchered, crucified, and burned, one by one. They stood and hoped their turn would not come. Each cared only for himself." Marla shakes her head.

"I think we've heard enough." I feel his eyes on me again.

"I think your eyes will see more than I could ever tell you. Take your time. Enjoy the sights." he turns and walks back towards the rest of his men. I let go of Marla's hand and grip my head.

"Marla-" I barely manage to whimper before I bend over and empty my stomach. My head feels like someone is repeatedly hitting it, trying to break it open.

"Oh god Cam." I feel her hands pulling back my hair as I throw up more. I feel so dizzy. "Talk to me."

"Head… hurts… bad," I whimper. I try to stand but only end up nearly falling in my vomit. If Marla wasn't holding me, I would be face first in it.

"Cass, help me get her out of the sun." she pulls off my pack and gently picks me up. I lean my head against her shoulder and slip into darkness.

 

**Marla**

Cass helps me get Cam into one of the buildings. It's half way torn down but it's still out of the sun. I can already tell that she's not conscious. I have Cass unroll my sleeping roll and gently lay Cam down. I check her pulse and time it on my Pipboy.

"She okay?" Cass asks softly. I nod.

"I think she will be. This all has to be from her head wound." I stroke Cam's hair some. "Bad headaches can cause vomiting." I look up at Cass. "I'm glad you came with us. This would have been much harder for me to do by myself." she grins a little and pulls out her whiskey.

"So I'm guessin' we're stayin' here 'til she wakes up." I nod.

"Maybe we can make it to Novac after." she shrugs and takes a long drink. I look at Cam. I hope she can tell me exactly what happened when she wakes up. I try not to think about all the people hanging out there. Fuck the legion. They're all monsters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still in process of moving and it's taking longer than I thought it was going to but writing is the only thing keeping me sane. I have the next chapter almost done. Wish me luck. Comments and kudos welcome!


	4. A Nighttime Sniper and a New Travel Partner

**Camilla**

After drilling me for nearly a half hour after waking up Marla finally felt like I was okay enough to travel again. I can't say it was fun losing everything I'd eaten and then having to eat more when I woke up. My head doesn't seem to hurt right now. Marla thinks that it'll be happening more as I heal, but hopefully it won't be permanent once I'm all healed up.

I'm glad the sun's going down. The heat is terrible. Marla seems worried about not making it to Novac before it's completely dark. Cass on the other hand doesn't seem to be worried. I have a feeling that she'll only be worried when she runs out of whiskey.

I can see the soft glow on top of a hill. I pull up the map on my Pipboy and see that we're very close to Novac, so the glow must be from it. There's also a large shadowy figure on top of the hill. I wonder if it's going to be another set of statues.

"Thank God, we're almost there," Marla groans. She bumps my shoulder with hers. "You may have taken a nap today but Cass and I didn't. I can't wait to fall into a bed."

"It's not like I asked for a headache so bad it made me sick and then passed out from it," I snap a little, crossing my arms. Cass snorts.

"Don't think anyone would ask for that, Short-Stack." I glare at her too.

"Would you _stop_ teasing me about my height?" she cracks up.

"Depends on if you're gunna grow any." I roll my eyes, which only makes her laugh more.

I look up as we come up the hill. A giant beast-thing is standing behind a fence. Marla looks at me.

"It's just a dinosaur, Cam. It's not going to come alive and get you." I look at it more. I think I can see someone inside the mouth. Marla grabs my hand and pulls me around it. She starts to go for a door. I pull my arm free.

"I'm going to go see who's inside the dinosaur," Marla eyes me.

"You sure you're feeling okay?" I nod.

"Maybe they saw the guy with a checkered suit." she sighs.

"Okay. Cass and I will get a room and meet you out here, alright?" I nod before turning and heading towards the dinosaur. I see some stairs and quickly climb up them. I pull open the door and go inside.

There's no one inside that I can see but there are a lot of supplies everywhere. I hear someone moving to my left and see another set of stairs. I climb them, pushing open the door. A man turns to look at me, a little startled. He's wearing a funny looking hat and dark sunglasses over his eyes with a t-shirt and some cargo pants. And he's holding a big gun.

"Don't you know better than to sneak up on people?" he growls. I back into the door a little.

"Sorry," I squeak.

"What do you want?" he stands. He's a lot taller than my sister and Cass. I look up at him. "You're new in town, aren't you. That why you're up here?"

"No," I stutter, "I came to ask a question."

"Well I don't have answers for you. Leave."

"But-" He turns and glares at me behind his sunglasses.

"Look, kid. I'm not the town tour guide-"

"I-I w-wanted to ask if you'd seen someone I'm looking for." I spit out the words quickly. He looks away.

"Might have. I see a lot of people up here." He crosses his arms..

"Uhuh. Well, I'm looking for _a specific_ person. A man in a checkered suit?"

"Might have seen him." He steps back. "Maybe not." I'm starting to think maybe coming up here was a mistake.

"Never mind. I'll ask someone else." Someone less belligerent. I turn for the door.

"Wait." I pause and turn back to him. He sighs. "I need someone I can trust. If you help me, I'll help you."

"You'll trust me, a complete stranger?"

"Yeah. You're not Legion, and that's good enough for this." He pulls out a cigarette and lights it. "No one in this goddamn town will look me in the eye anymore. They'll talk to you, though." I nod.

"What do you need from me?"

"My wife was taken from our home by Legion slavers one night while I was on watch." I feel my eyes widen. "They knew when to come and what route to take, and they only took Carla. Someone set it up. I don't know who."

"So you want me to find them?" he nods. "You think it's someone in town?" he nods again.

"I know it was. It couldn't have been anyone else. I want proof they did it."

"What happened to her? Couldn't she still be alive? We could look-"

"She's dead. I want the son of a bitch who sold her." He cuts me off. Guilt washes over me. I nod.

"I'll help you." he sighs and rubs his face. "I'm Camilla. My older sister Marla is looking for a room." he nods.

"Boone. I'll make this worth your while. And one more thing- We shouldn't speak again, not 'til this is over. No one in town knows that I know what happened to my wife. Best they never know, or the Legion will be after me next." I nod. I'll have to be careful when I tell Marla and Cass about this. Boone takes his hat off his head and hands it to me. "This is the signal. When you find them, lead them out in front of the dinosaur, and put this on." I nod.

"After I do this we can talk about who I'm looking for?" he nods and turns back around. I slip out the door and shove the hat into my pack before going down stairs to meet my sister.

**Marla**

I watch Cam run into the dino's belly before turning to Cass.

"If you wanna keep drinking, we'll need to find some way to make caps before we leave here." she sighs and looks at her bottle.

"Damn you're right." I pull open the door to the lobby.

"We'll ask whoever's in here." An older woman looks at us as we step inside. Something about her just puts me off.

"Welcome to you, young ladies. You look tired from the road," she says. I can tell she's trying to be sweet about it.

"We are," I sigh. "We need a room for the night." she nods.

"Looks like I have a room just for you two." I head over to the counter and fork over some caps. "I'm Jeannie May. I take care of folks here at the motel. Long as they aren't trouble makers." I eye her a little.

"Is there anything around town that we could maybe help with?"

"Well Ranger Andy's still hurt, but we got these two gentlemen snipers watching the road day and night, keeping the trash out of Novac. So I don't think there's anything there." she taps her chin. "But Dusty McBride's been losing some Brahmin, but that's probably the heat more than anything. Honestly, it's been real quiet." I suppress a groan.

"Okay." she hands me a key and I start to leave before I remember checkered suit and turn back to face her. "Have you seen anyone in a checkered suit lately? I'm looking for someone who had one." she nods a little.

"Well he might've been wearing a fancy outfit, but he wasn't any kind of a gentleman to me." _Can't imagine he would be._ "Had his nose stuck so high in the air, you couldn't see it above the clouds. City folk, they always think they deserve better than what they got. Those hoodlums he was with seemed to know Manny for some reason. He's our daytime sniper, up in the dinosaur's mouth."

"So he's not in there now?" she shakes her head.

"That'd be Boone up there now. Poor man's wife just left him. She never did care for our little town." she sighs sadly. "Manny's in his room for the night. You might find him there if you want to ask about that man." I nod. "Your room is just up the stairs to the left of the gate."

" _Thanks_." Cass and I turn and leave. I wait for the door to shut behind us before I look at her. "Did she seem a little weird to you?" she shrugs and takes a swig of her whiskey. I roll my eyes and head through the gate just in time to see my sister come out of the dino belly.

By the time she gets to us I've already decided that I'm going to find Manny without her. Maybe I can get something out of him if it's just me.

"Meet anyone interesting up there?" I ask. She shrugs.

"Can we go to the room now?" I wrap my arm around her shoulders and hug her a little.

"Sure." we head up the stairs and get into our room. There's only a bed and a couch. Cass goes over to the couch and flops down before sprawling out. Cam and I sit on the bed.

"So Boone is up in the dino and he asked if I could find out who sold his wife to Legion slavers," Cam says quickly. I lean back on the bed.

"Slavers took her?" I ask. Cam nods.

"Weird. Jeannie May in the lobby said she left him," Cass says. Cam shrugs.

"I'll ask around in the morning. I'm too tired to run around town now." She sighs and flops back on the bed. I lean on my elbow and take off her hat. I lean over and look at her stiches.

"If you want, I think I have a stimpack I can use to try and make your head heal a little faster so the stitches can come out." she shrugs.

"Think it'll help with headaches?" I shrug.

"I'm not sure but we can try." she sighs again.

"Fine. Can I sleep after?" I kiss her forehead and sit up.

"Sure." I go to my pack and dig through it until I find my stash of stimpacks. I take one and go back to her. I pull off her hat before injecting the stimpack into her head. Her stitches look like they're healing well. I should be able to take them out in the morning. "Alright, get some sleep and I'll take out your stitches in the morning." she yawns and starts undoing her boots.

"Where are you going to go?" she tosses one shoe on the floor. I blink at her. She can still tell when I'm about to leave.

"Jeannie May told me who I can ask about the checkered suit guy. I'm gunna go look for him." she throws her other boot to the floor and crawls up to the pillows.

"Be careful." she curls up with a pillow and closes her eyes. I rub my forehead. I thought she'd want to come but I guess earlier today took a lot out of her. I look at Cass.

"You'll be okay?" she raises up her whiskey bottle as her answer. I roll my eyes and take off my armor before heading out of the room again. I walk down the stairs and look at all the rooms. Only a few have lights on. I see a tall man in a Ranger hat milling about. I bet he'd know.

I walk over to him. He looks up at me.

"What can I do for you, miss?"

"Are you Ranger Andy?" he nods.

"How'd you guess?"

"Well Jeannie May said that there was a Ranger around and you're the only one who's wearing the get up." he chuckles a little.

"You know me, who might you be?"

"I'm Marla. My sister, our friend, and I just got into town. I was hoping you could tell me which room was Manny's." he nods and points.

"His room is right over there." I follow his hand. He sighs. "Wish I had a pretty woman comin' in town for me." I laugh.

"Well Jeannie May did say you were injured and I'm a doctor so if you'd want a second opinion on your injury I'd be glad to take a look." he nods a little.

"I might take you up on it." I nod.

"We'll be in town for a day or so. Just let me know." he nods and turns to go into what I'm assuming is his home. I take a breath and go over to Manny's door. I knock lightly and wait. Moments later the door swings open. I take a step back. He's shirtless; doesn't look like he's a fit as he once was. His skin is tanned and I can make out a few scars. He's not bad looking. I've never been that into facial hair but he doesn't have that much. He looks me over.

"Manny?" I ask. He nods.

"Who's asking?" he smiles a little.

"I'm looking for someone and I was told you might be able to help." he steps aside.

"Alright, come on in." I carefully step passed him and he closes the door behind me. I look around the room a little. It's not nearly as nice as ours is upstairs. He walks around me and clears his throat before sitting down at the table.

"So…"

"Marla."

"Marla," he smiles before motioning to the chair next to him. I sit down. "Who are you looking for?" I look up at him and meet his warm brown eyes.

"Couple of Great Khans with a man in a checkered suit." his eyes widen a little.

"I know them. I used to be in with Khans years ago. Why are you looking for them?" he leans a little closer. "Benny's not your boyfriend or something?" I laugh a little.

"No. Didn't even know his name until now." he nods. I lean on my elbow. "He tried to kill my baby sister and he robbed her."

"Shit." he looks down. "Benny's a fucking bastard." I nod.

"Sure is." he looks back up at me. I stare in his eyes. "So you're with the NCR?"

"Not anymore." I raise an eyebrow at his tone. "It's not that I didn't like it while I was enlisted. They straightened my life out, but after Bitter Springs I decided I was done." Bitter Springs piques my interest. I've heard stories about when we're on the strip but it's like no one knows exactly what happened.

"So you were there?" he shakes his head and grabs a bottle of rum. He pours himself a shot and looks at me.

"Want some?" I shrug. He pours me a shot and then knocks his back. "I played sick because I knew people there. When they came back no one would tell me what happened so I didn't see the point of re-enlisting. I know a lot of people died who didn't want to be a part of the fighting at all." I drink my shot. It burns a little but I do love the taste of rum, especially with Nuka-Cola.

"Sounds like they had a rough time." He pours himself another shot.

"It is. It's not like I blame any of them either. There's so much chaos when you're fighting." he throws back the shot and takes a breath "Did Benny take a chip from your sister?" I nod. "I don't think he's givin' it up." he drinks straight from the bottle. I put my hand on his knee.

"You shouldn't worry about Benny." I lean forward and press my lips to his. I feel his hand on my side. Before I know it, I'm sitting in his lap sliding my tongue in his mouth.

* * *

I sit up on Manny's bed after catching my breath. I look around the room spotting all my clothes. I push myself up and start to collect my clothing. I can feel Manny watching me get dressed.

"They were heading to Boulder City." I look at him over my shoulder a little confused.

"Who?" he grins a little. I pull on my pants.

"Benny and the Khans."

"Oh! Right." he chuckles a little. I finish getting dressed.

"Sounded like Benny hadn't paid up yet. Maybe you can catch up to them." I lean over him on the bed and kiss his lips one more time.

"Thanks for helping me out." he grins more lopsidedly.

"Feel free to come back if you need any more help." I smile and stand up.

"Goodnight Manny." I let myself out and head back upstairs to our room. Now I'm really tired.

I open our door and see Cass is still up. She looks at me and smirks.

"So you found 'em, huh?" I raise my eyebrow at her.

"I did." I sit on the bed and pull my shoes off again.

"His dick big?" my head snaps over to her.

"What!?" she starts to laugh.

"You were down there a long time. This ain't a big place. Can't imagine it took over an hour to find him and ask your questions." I feel my cheeks heat up. Cass laughs more. "Alright, don't tell me 'bout his dick. Maybe I'll go find out for myself." she puts her bottle to her lips.

"I don't think he's going to let another strange woman into his room again tonight." she snorts.

"I take it you got what you were after, then." I nod. "Before or after you had to put your shirt back on?" I look down and see that I managed to put my shirt on inside out. I groan and head into the bathroom to fix it.

"After…" she laughs more. I go back over to the bed and look at her. "I'm going to bed and you should too." she snorts.

"We ain't done talkin' 'bout this." I roll my eyes and lie down next to my sister.

" _Goodnight_ Cass." she snorts again.

"Night." I close my eyes and try to sleep.

* * *

**Camilla**

I wake up before both Marla and Cass. I get up and eat something before pulling on my boots and leaving the room. I want an early start looking for clues for Boone. The sun's already hot overhead. I take a breath as I head down the stairs.

After asking around for a couple hours, my best lead is Manny the daytime sniper, who my sister went to talk with last night. I rub my face. I haven't seen her or heard her yet so she must still be sleeping.

The sound of wheels rolling over dirt catches my attention. I look towards the road and see a familiar robot. I go over to him.

" _Victor_?" he stops and turns towards me.

"Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit, if it ain't my old friend from Goodsprings!" I cross my arms.

"Are you following me now?"

"I saved your life and kinda feel responsible for ya." I roll my eyes.

"What are you doing here in Novac?"

"Don't rightly know - I just got the notion to make my way to New Vegas. Reckon I'll find out when I get there." he's so strange.

"Alright, well I can take care of myself."

"Sure you can, lil' lady. We just don't want anything to happen to ya." I sigh. "Just goin' back to rollin' my spurs. Gotta make it to New Vegas."

"Bye Victor." he starts to roll again. I shake my head. I should go see if Marla's up.

"Watch out for the chupacabra!" A voice shouts around the corner. I look over and see a man walking around "Chupacabras are gunna get us all!" he seems really crazy but I haven't talked to him yet. Anything is better than what I have, which is nothing. I follow him back to a shack. He's older than most people around here, with white hair on his head and chin. He freezes and looks at me.

"Who sent you! Better back off or I'll stick ya." I hold up my hands.

"No one sent me. I'm just looking for a couple people." he eyes me. "I'm Camilla. Who are you?"

"No-bark. We'll just see about that. You come any closer and I'm liable to stick you with my stickin' knife. Ol' Sticky's feeling mighty ornery this day." I throw up my hands.

"Alright, alright. I won't get too close to you." he still looks like he's figuring me out. "Have you seen anything weird lately?"

"Commie ghosts what don't know they're dead. Hoping to steal our rockets so they can fly up and paint the moon pink and draw a Lenin face on it." I blink at him. I have no idea what that means.

"Okay. Anything around town?"

"Chupacabras been doin' disturbing things at the McBride ranch. And- and molerat men, come up from the Underneath to steal young women with promises of riches and fancy mud mansions with all the latest designer appliances." I take a deep breath. Maybe I'm wasting my time.

"Do you know what happened to Boone's wife?" he nods a few times.

"Seen it all. Seen shadowy folk come to his room and leave again in the middle of the night. Thought one might've gone in the lobby, too, for a spell. Could be that person went in to get something. Or use the john maybe. Mighty interesting either way, you ask me. I thought it was cannibals, come to eat us all for sure, so I kept out of sight. But now I know better." he steps a little closer to me. I step back.

"Thanks No-bark." I've already talked to Jeannie May but maybe I missed something in the lobby. I start to leave but then stop. No-bark is probably someone that people over look a lot. Maybe he saw the guy in the checkered suit. "No-bark, have you seen a guy in a checkered suit lately?" he nods again.

"Sure have. Camouflage, that coat was, trying to hide from extra-terrestrials what can only see in black and white checkers. But they're not fooled 'cause he forgot to put the checkers on his face. I told him so and he seemed to take it to heart. They stayed here a night, and was up by the dinosaur talking to the sniper fella with the moustache a couple of times." Back to Manny I assume. I hope Marla talked to him about that guy. I pull a few caps out of my pocket and hand them to No-bark.

"Thanks for helping me No-bark." he grabs my hand and pulls me closer.

"If anyone asks, we never talked." I nod and take my hand back. I quickly exit the shack and get back to our room.

Marla and Cass are both up but it looks like Marla just woke up.

"Cam. Where've you been?" I come over and sit on the bed.

"Was asking about Boone's wife." I look at her. "Did you get to talk to Manny?" Cass snorts behind me. I look at her.

"She did more than just talk, Shorty." I look back at Marla, who's glaring at Cass.

"Marla?" she looks at me.

"Don't worry about it Cam. I talked to him and he told me the guy that shot you is named Benny and he thinks they were going to Boulder City."

"Great," Cass groans. "We're goin' into a rubble pile." Marla takes off my hat and looks at my stitches.

"These look like they're ready to come out." she meets my eyes. "Want me to?" I nod. She gets up and gathers up a few things.

"Did he say anything about Boone or his wife?" she shakes her head as she comes back over to me.

"No, but if they're both snipers I'm guessing that they were both part of First Recon. Maybe they came down here together." she shrugs and then start to cut and pull the stitches out of my head. It's a weird feeling, not really painful. It's almost like something really tiny is pulling on my skin.

"I want to go talk to him and then I'm going to need your help to get Jeannie May out of the lobby."

"Why her? She seemed alright. Strange but alright." I shrug a little.

"Someone told me they saw someone go in there after they took his wife. I asked her about his wife this morning but she didn't tell me anything like that. I think I can find something if she's not in there." Marla sighs and steps back. I reach up and touch my head. It feels rough with stubble and scabs but much better.

"Better?" I nod. "Fine. I'll get her out of the lobby." she puts my hat back on. "Go talk to Manny and when you come back we'll go get Jeannie May." I get up head over to the dino.

* * *

Walking down to the lobby with my sister, I feel confident that Jeannie May is my best bet for figuring this out. Manny may not have liked Carla very much but I doubt he'd hurt Boone like this. I wait outside while Marla goes in. I wait a few moment before they come back out and I slip inside.

The lobby is not much to look at, just like earlier but unlike last time, I'm able to get behind the counter. I spot the floor safe easy and pull out a bobby pin from my pocket. Just like with the radio, it clicks without me having much memory of how to do this. The latch clicks and I pull it open. There are cap everywhere in here and a couple other things but a note catches my eye. I pull it out and read it over.

My blood turns to ice. What a fucking monster.

I take all the caps out of the safe before closing it back up. I know Marla bought our room and it's not like Jeannie May will be needing them in a bit. I exit the lobby, stuffing the note in my pocket and heading back to our room.

Cass looks up at me. I throw some caps at her.

"I imagine we aren't going to be staying here again once Boone takes his shift so you should go get some more whiskey."

"That bad huh?" she get up. I nod.

"I feel bad for Boone." she pats my shoulder.

"Just don't forget you've seen a lot of fucked up shit too. We all have." I watch her walk out the door. She's not wrong. I just wish I could remember everything I've been through.

I sit at the end of the bed and pull off my hat. I rub over the new scars for a few moments before Marla comes in. I look at her and lower my hand.

"Just saw Cass. What's going on?" I reach in my pocket and grab the note detailing that Jeannie May sold Boone's wife and unborn child to the Legion. Marla takes it and reads it quickly.

"Shit. I thought she was weird but I didn't see this coming." I nod. She hands it back to me. I go to my bag and dig out Boone's hat. "A First Recon beret?"

"When Boone's back on shift, I have to get Jeannie May in front of the dino and this is the signal that she did it." she nods and kisses my forehead.

"Why don't you take a nap? I'm gunna go check out Ranger Andy. Not that I doubt the doctors around here but never hurts to have more than one opinion."

"Okay." she pats my cheek and leaves the room. I sigh and sit back on the bed. I start to fiddle with my Pipboy. Maybe there's something on here that'll help me remember something.

* * *

I bite my lip as I pull on the beret and walk in front of the dinosaur where Jeannie May is standing. A shot rings out quickly and I turn around. I don't really want to see that. I take a breath and walk back into the yard. Marla and Cass are waiting outside the dino belly for me. I replace the beret with my baseball cap while walking up the steps. I open the door and head up to the mouth. I don't hear Marla and Cass behind me. I walk up and push open the door.

Boone turns around.

"Where's your proof?" I swallow hard and hand his the bill of sale out of my pocket. He snatches it out of my hand and looks at it. I twist his beret in my hands. "That's that then. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It'd be like them to keep paperwork." His voice is soft and quiet. I hold out his beret.

"What are you going to do now? Keep taking the night shift?" he shakes his head. He takes the beret and returns it to his head.

"I don't know. I won't be staying, I know that. Don't see much point in anything right now, except hunting legionaries. Maybe I'll wander, like you." I nod a little, mind starting to race. Marla got Cass to help us and she's a good shot… sometimes but after what happened in Nipton it'd be nice to have someone who's a good shot and could carry me if I have another headache like that one. I look up at Boone.

"What if you come with us?" he starts to shake his head.

"I work alone."

"Please Boone? I get it you want to get revenge but we could help and we could use your help. There's three of us and if you join us then the four of us could take down more of them than just you alone."

"You mean that?" I nod. I don't want to leave here without him. "Fine. Then that's reason enough for me to take you up on it, I supposed. But this isn't gonna end well…" I raise my eyebrow at him. He grabs his rife and slings it on his back. "Let's get out of here." I nod and pull open the door. Boone follows me outside where Marla and Cass are waiting. Marla raises her eyebrow.

"Marla, Cass, this Craig Boone. He's coming with us."

"Just Boone," he answer flatly. "I'll be right back." he walks across the yard to his room.

"Really Cam?" Marla asks quietly. I nod.

"Yes. He's a sniper and he's stronger than both of you so if I have another headache like the one in Nipton it'll be easier to move on." she crosses her arms so I cross mine. "It's not like you asked me if I wanted Cass to come before you made that happen."

"Heyyy!" Cass slurs a little.

"It's not your fault." Marla sighs.

"Fine. But we both know grief does weird things to people and I don't trust him." I shrug.

"Whatever Marla. He's coming with us, he's a great shot and he hates the Legion. Deal with it." she shakes her head a little but drops it. Boone comes out of his room looking more suited to travel. He walks back over to us.

"Where to?" he asks. I look at Marla.

"Boulder City." he nods.

"Okay." Marla sighs and starts to walk towards the gate. I know she has other places she wants to stop of the way. I follow after her. Cass and Boone follow after us. My head's starting to ache dully. I hope I made the right choice.

**Jaxson**

By the time the sun sets I've made it to the 188. They have a small fire going that I sit next to. It's not much but it does a pretty good job of cooking some gecko steaks. There's a woman sitting across from me. she's wearing some sort of sack and I can tell she's watching me because she looks away as I eye her. I sigh.

"You hungry or something?" I ask.

"Do you travel a lot?" she asks. Her voice almost sounds full of wonder. I shrug.

"Kinda. I used to be a courier."

"But you could still go places right?" I nod.

"Yeah. That's why I'm here." she smiles. I see a short lock of brown hair slide out of her hood. She quickly tucks it back. I take a bite of my steak.

"What do you know about the Brotherhood of Steel?" I take a sip of my Sunset Sarsaparilla.

"Not much. Just that they like old tech and power armor." she nods a little. "Why?" she shrugs.

"I'm just curious." I take a few more bites of my steak. "Where are you headed?" I stare into the fire.

"Well, for now Novac and then Goodsprings. I'm looking for a friend. Heard there was a courier that got shot and I want to check on her." I try to keep my voice from cracking. I never should have let her leave in the first place.

"Sounds like you really care about her." I don't look at her.

"It's been a couple of years. I'm not sure if she'll even want to talk to me when I find her."

"Sounds like you could use some help." I look up at her.

"What?" she smiles again.

"Let me travel with you and I can give you some tips on how to make it up to her." I snort. Might be nice to have someone to watch my back again. Might even be able to sleep a little better at night. I sigh.

"What the hell, why not."

"Really?!" she sounds so excited. I nod. "Great! Let's go make some trouble." I laugh a little. "I'm Veronica." she holds out her hand. I reach over and take it.

"Jaxson but most people just end up calling me Jax." she shakes my hand.

"Okay. I'm gonna get some rest. You better not leave without me." I laugh a little more.

"I won't, I promise." she hops up and goes off a little ways. I finish off my steak and then stare out into the dark Mojave, holding my drink.

I shouldn't have been so stupid. We'd traveled together for two years. I met her right after what happened in the Divide. It fucked me up and she helped me without even knowing it. I shake my head. At least Novac isn't too far from here. She'd have to pass through it on her way back to the Strip. She used to keep a room in Vault 21, said it reminded her of her sister. Maybe I can ask around and see if anyone saw her before heading to Goodsprings. Couldn't hurt to ask. Maybe I'll even stop in Primm and see if Old man Nash has her on a delivery. I finish off my drink and pull out my sleeping roll. Got a lot of ground to cover tomorrow. Better get some sleep. I slip inside and stare up at the stars. My eyes drift closed quickly and I slip into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've come down with a bad case of writers block so I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up.   
> As always comments and kudos are welcome! Enjoy!


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